Puppies

 

 So during Christmas 2013 we dog sat Cash, the Vizsla in the front, for two weeks.  Jasper LOVES him.  It's his BD(doggie)FF. It was fun & Jasper had a lot of fun.  But I'll be honest it was nice to have just one pup again.

 So Spencer had a great idea of getting a friend for Jasper to "keep him company." Here's Cooper, a nine month old Boxer.  He was beautiful and really soft.  We all loved him.

Sad though, he lasted maybe a month in the Allred Family.  He'd CONSTANTLY rough play with Jasper 24/7.  It drove me nuts!  After he bit through Japser's ear playing too rough, I said that's it!  I'm done! And now Cooper has another home and is called Duke.

I'm in the process of finding all our Homeschool Adventures and posting those very soon!

Blessings after Tragedy

One of my favorite things we did in 2013 was the Breakfast for Bill.  On May 31st, HFD battled a 5 alarm fire at the Southwest Inn.  Spencer was working at Teletremity that day so he knew EXACTLY what was going on.  Four Fire Fighters were killed and 13 were injured. It was a terrifying day! I remember keeping the news on most of the day. 

 Captain William Dowling was one of the injured ff that day.  He lost his legs and had major internal damage from being trapped in the fire.  So many of us felt helpless and wanted to help but didn't know where to start.  That's when the community came together and miracles happened.  Donations were made and we worked hard to make it happen. 

 This was the turnout for the breakfast that was served, the silent auctions that were donated, and the live auctions that brought in thousands of dollars!  It was truly amazing! 

 I'm truly grateful to have been a part of something so amazing as Breakfast for Bill!

 Presenting the check to Jackie at the hospital where she stayed with Captain Dowling nearly every day and night. The community was so generous donating over $100,000 and we are so blessed. 

 As of now, Captain Dowling is home.  He works hard every day to regain his strength and to be able to talk again.  He had a wonderful homecoming; firetrucks over EVERY highway overpass with firefighters saluting a hero on his way home.  It was very emotional!

 

 This was the welcome at the Dowling home.  All along the streets was the same thing.  Signs. Flags. People lined up waving & clapping to see him come home. It was amazing!

Lovin' Life!

I'm not even sure where to start to catch up.  So I'll post a few pictures of some things we did the past year. 

 The girls took a ballet class together.  Avery really enjoyed it but Emily got a bit bored.  She's got a bit more spunk and was bored.  She's in gymnastics this year.

 They did really well in their recital.  Avery is taking another ballet class this year and still enjoys it.

This picture is priceless.  She loved every second of this kiss from Daddy!


Father's Day.  We seriously have monkeys for kiddos.  They are so funny!

I love the squeels when I write on their feet!  Love these pictures!

 

 

Easter

We had the annual EASTER EGG HUNT at our house again and it was a lot of fun!

 The kids played on the (work in progress) swing set

had a sack race,

 a three legged race,

another sack race,

 then the egg hunt...

the race to find eggs,

high and low 

Everyone eating their treasures found in the eggs while watching a movie together.

a Trip to the Zoo

After years of living in Houston we finally choose a beautiful and PERFECT day to visit the zoo

Spencer was working and visited with us for a bit with his partner and ambulance

we met cousins before they moved to Korea for a few years

First stop....monkeys...

 

ducks and lunch

elephants...

deer (licking the window)

a BEAUTIFUL eagle (who had broken a wing by poachers & couldn't fly)

feeding the giraffes

great weather with even better company!

One Year Older and Wiser Too...

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday dear Avery (11), Robyn, and Joshua (4)...

Happy Birthday to you!!!

December

Our Annual Family Pictures are so much fun.  This year we had a great photographer and the kids did such a better job than the past years.

 Since the girls were both taking ballet this year I thought they'd like a trip to the Nutcracker.  It was put on by a local ballet studio and it was great to see younger kids dancing.

Spencer worked on Christmas Day so Santa came a day early to our home.  Christmas Eve was also our Christmas day. 

Our afternoon was spent at Grandma & Grandpa Allreds home with the rest of the family.  We have an early dinner and then white elephant exchange for kids then adults. 

 Cousin love!

During the holidays we had a visitor for a week.  His name was Cash and he's Jasper's BFF.

 it wasn't 24 hours later from Cash going back home that Spencer brought this guy home. He's a 9 month old Boxer.  We tried naming him Chief but it just wouldn't stick.  We finally decided on Cooper.

 Jasper loves having a brother.  Now the challenge is to break his stubborn streak.  Luckily for Cooper, he's a fast learner! Welcome to the family Cooper!